Chapter 56 At Long Last
Lara’s POV
Three weeks after the wedding, life felt almost normal.
Almost.
Ethan was back at school full time,he slept through the night most days.He laughed again.
That laugh.I missed it so much.
Damien was back at work.He came home every evening by six.No more emergencies.No more running.
Just normal life.
I should have been happy.
And I was.
Mostly.
But the sisters were still free.
Veronica and Natasha were still out there.Living their lives like nothing happened.
That thought bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
Margaret called on a Tuesday morning.
I was cooking breakfast when my phone rang.
“Good morning. How is married life?” she asked.
“Quiet,” I said. “And I love that.”
“Good. Because things are about to change.”
I put the spatula down.
“What happened?”
“The FBI finished tracking the money,” she said.“All of it. Every account. Every transfer.”
“And?” I asked.
“The evidence is very strong, Lara. Very strong.”
I sat down.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the district attorney is ready to charge Veronica and Natasha. This week.”
“With what charges?”
“Planning murder. Paying for a prison escape. And helping cause the deaths of two police guards.”
My heart stopped.“Murder charges?”
“Yes. Two guards died during Lucas’s escape. Their money paid for it. That makes them responsible.”
I never thought about it that way.
Two people died because of that money.Two people who were just doing their jobs.
“When will this happen?” I asked.
“Thursday morning. Charges will be filed then.”
Two days.
I told Damien that night at dinner.Ethan was already asleep.
“Murder charges,” Damien said quietly.
“That’s what Margaret said.”
“Do you think they will be found guilty?”
“She says the evidence is very strong.”
Damien stayed quiet.He pushed food around his plate.
“Part of me feels a little sorry for them,” he said.
I looked at him."What?”
“They lost their brother. Lucas will never be free. Their family is ruined.”
“They chose this,” I said.
“They made these choices.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m just saying.”
“Two guards are dead,” I said.
“They had families. Because Veronica paid for that escape.”
He nodded.“You’re right.”
“Don’t feel sorry for them,” I said.
“They never felt sorry for us.”
Thursday came.I watched the news while Ethan was at school.
The district attorney stood outside the courthouse.
“Today we are charging Veronica Ward and Natasha Ward,” he said.
“These charges are connected to the escape of Lucas Ward.”
He listed the crimes.
Planning crimes.Paying criminals.Helping cause murder.Reporters shouted questions.
Then the screen showed Veronica and Natasha walking into court.
They wore expensive clothes.Their heads were down.Lawyers walked beside them.
Veronica looked up at the cameras once.
Her face was hard and angry.
The same look she always had.
Their lawyer spoke to the press.
“My clients are innocent,” he said.“This is an attack on a grieving family.”
“Grieving family,” I said out loud.
They were not grieving.They were angry they were caught.
Margaret called right after.
“Did you see it?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“What do you think?”
“I think their lawyer has a hard job.”
“He does,” she said. “The case is very strong.”
“When is the trial?”
“Two months from now. They stay under house arrest.”
“Still not in jail?”
“They have ankle monitors. No passports.”
It was not enough.
But it was something.
That weekend, something unexpected happened.I was at the grocery store with Ethan.
Normal shopping.
Bread. Milk.
Too much chocolate because Ethan tried very hard.
Someone tapped my shoulder.I turned fast.My heart raced.
An older woman stood there.
Around sixty years old.
“Are you Lara Montgomery?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
She started crying.
“My son was one of the guards,” she said.“The one who died during the escape.”
My chest hurt.
“I’m so sorry.”
“I wanted to thank you,” she said.
“For speaking out. For telling the truth.”
“I didn’t do enough,” I said.
“You did more than you know,” she said.
“Because of you, people know my son was innocent. He was just doing his job.”
I was crying too now.
Ethan watched us quietly.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I said.
She held my hand.
“I hope they go to prison forever.”
“Me too,” I said.
She walked away.
Ethan pulled my sleeve.
“Mommy, who was that?”
“Someone who lost someone very important.”
“Because of Lucas?”
“Because of people who helped Lucas.”
“That’s really sad,” he said.
“Yes,” I said. “It is.”
That night, I explained everything to Damien.
He stayed quiet for a long time.
“We should help the families,” he said.
“How?”
“Money. A fund. College for their kids. Help for their wives.”
“With Lucas’s money?” I asked.
“With ours,” he said. “His too, if possible.”
I took his hand.
“Okay,” I said.
That was why I loved him.
.
Two weeks before the trial, Margaret called again.
“Natasha fired her lawyer,” she said.
“What?”
“She is working with the prosecutors now.”
“She turned on Veronica?”
“Yes. Veronica blamed her. Natasha is furious.”
I almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“Veronica is finished,” Margaret said.
“Natasha told them everything.”
“What does Natasha get?”
“A lighter sentence. Maybe five to seven years.”
“Is that fair?”
Margaret sighed."Nothing about this is fair.”
The night before the trial, I could not sleep.
Not because I was scared.
Because I was ready.
Damien found me in the kitchen.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“No. But I’m okay.”
“How do you feel?”
“Ready,” I said.
“I want this to end.”
“You testify tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little. But I need to speak.”
He took my hand.
“You are brave,” he said.
“I don’t feel brave.”
“That’s what real bravery is.”
\---
The next morning, I dressed carefully.Simple dress and a simple shoes.
Ethan was safe at school.
I kissed Damien.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
The courthouse was full.Reporters everywhere.Margaret met us inside.
“Natasha already testified,” she said.
“She told them everything.”
“What about Veronica?”
“No emotion at all.”
That sounded right.
At 2 p.m., I was called in.I sat on the witness stand.The courtroom was full.I looked straight ahead.
The prosecutor spoke.
“Mrs. Otto, when did the threats begin?”
I took a deep breath.
“Late at night. Phone calls. A voice like my ex-husband.”
“What did it say?”
“This isn’t over.”
“How did that make you feel?”
I looked at Veronica.
“Like I would never be free.”
The room was silent.
“Who was responsible?”
“Veronica and Natasha Ward.”
“How did that make you feel?”
“Like some people will do anything to avoid punishment.”
Veronica’s face tightened.
Good.
The defense tried to attack me but they failed.I stepped down an hour later.
My legs shook.
Damien held my hand.
“You did amazing,” he whispered.
I felt tired.
But peaceful.
The jury decided in two days.Margaret called.
“They’re guilty,” she said.
I sat on the kitchen floor.
“All charges,” she continued.
“Veronica gets twenty-five years. Natasha gets seven.”
“They’re going to prison,” I said.
Damien sat beside me.
He held me while I cried.
Not from sadness.From relief.It was over.All of it.
Finally over.